September 19th, 2023

Coach Sophie

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share a little bit on hormones that affect our hunger. Hunger levels are affected by a multitude of hormones in our body – cortisol, thyroid hormone, insulin, and more! – but I wanted to focus on hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin today! Understanding how these hormones work can help us better understand our body’s appetite responses.

Leptin and ghrelin work together to facilitate eating, energy balance and metabolism, and weight management. Ghrelin is an appetite INCREASING hormone that is typically secreted before meals and secretion decreases after eating. It is produced in our stomachs and communicates with our brain to signal appetite. Ghrelin can also be released in stressful situations which can explain the tendency to overeat for some in those instances. It is balanced with the appetite DECREASING hormone leptin which supports weight management. Leptin is secreted by fat cells and also communicates with the brain. Because leptin levels in the blood are largely based on body fat percentage, weight gain actually causes leptin levels to increase while weight loss causes leptin to increase (which is why we get hungry when in a deficit!).

With both of these hormones, we want to optimize their healthy balance in the body for sustainable and healthy weight changes (either gain or loss depending on individual goals). So how can we optimize our hunger hormone levels to support our body in the best way possible? You probably won’t be surprised to know a lot of these tips also support so many of our other hormones!

– Avoid crash/fad diets and excessive restriction: Ghrelin is bound to increase if we consistently undereat; we can minimize this by focusing on eating enough food and prioritizing whole nutrient dense, unprocessed foods high in fiber and protein Ideally, you should be satisfied by a meal to where you can wait at least 3 hours before feeling hungry again. This is a good indicator that your meal contained enough protein, carbs, and fats to stabilize blood sugar and give your body the fuel it needs. Note that it is normal to feel hungry before the 3 hour mark if exercise comes between meals!

– Protein!: studies have repeatedly shown that protein is the most satiating macronutrient and that having meals with enough protein (around 25-30g) mediate a healthy post-meal ghrelin response.

– Sleep!: Those 7-9 hours are soooo important for managing our hunger hormones. Sleep deprivation leads to increased ghrelin levels and thus increased appetite so prioritizing healthy sleep (limiting screen time before bed, going to bed at the same time every night, sleeping in a cooler room) are all going to support healthy ghrelin and leptin levels.

– Stress management!: Remember me saying stress can trigger ghrelin release? Stress is known to cause increased hunger and overeating of less nourishing foods and even promote other unhealthy habits so having a strong foundation to turn to when we feel stressed is key. Yoga, meditation, walks outside, spending time with positive friends, therapy, healthy exercise, reading, and hobbies can all be healthy ways to manage stress levels.

– Avoiding highly processed foods when possible: While a treat once in awhile is part of a healthy balance and flexible lifestyle, regularly consuming highly palatable processed foods can make it harder to balance ghrelin levels. This is because these foods (packaged, usually high in added sugars and/or fats) signal to our brain’s reward system to activate which can override the healthy hormonal messages from our stomach. They also cause a spike in blood sugar which makes it even harder for our body’s hormones to stay balanced.

Hopefully these tips are helpful to you to understanding more about how LIFESTYLE changes are so important to our physical goals!